Fabio Rubio Scarano was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he is Professor of Ecology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, since 1993. He has a degree in Forestry from the University of Brasília and a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Fabio has worked for private companies in the forestry sector in Brazil, and for the Brazilian government he held positions in the Ministry of Education (2005-2011) and Ministry of Environment (2007-2009), when he was Science Director of the Botanical Gardens of Rio de Janeiro. He has also been a Senior Vice-President at the NGO Conservation International (CI
<p>We mapped forest cover of Trajano de Moraes in five timeslots between years 1978 and 201... more <p>We mapped forest cover of Trajano de Moraes in five timeslots between years 1978 and 2014, and used the weights of evidence method for modeling spatial dynamics of this landscape, to understand where natural regeneration is occurring and which are the main factors related to this phenomenon. In forest cover maps, value 2 stands for class "Atlantic forest" and value 1 stands for class "matrix".</p
Due to a growing interest in biodiversity issues, plant ecology research in Brazil in the past de... more Due to a growing interest in biodiversity issues, plant ecology research in Brazil in the past decades has predominantly aimed to produce descriptive accounts of vegetation structure, floristics and phytosociology. However, following the tradition of the notable Brazilian ecologists of the 40's and 50's, several studies conducted by a distinctive group of young Brazilian researchers were characteristically concerned with the relationship between plants and theirs physical and chemical environment. Thus, the main purpose of this volume is to review the bulk of achievements of this group of functional ecologists in order to call the attention of our expressive new generation of plant ecologists to functional and adaptive mechanisms related to plant survival and growth in environments subjected to seasonal drought or flooding. Therefore, the reviews were grouped under two sections, namely Xerophytic Plants and Amphibious Plants . The reviews altogether quote over 700 references gathering tropical examples of plant life strategies, contemporary theoretical issues related to stress ecophysiology, and modern techniques for measuring and assessing plant fitness, survival and productivity. Despite all this effort there are many gaps still to be filled. We hope this volume will contribute to point out directions for future research. We are indebted to the Brazilian Botanical Society (SBB) who let us organize the Ecophysiology Symposium in the XLVII Congresso Nacional de Botânica (22, 23/vi/1996), where these reviews were presented. CNPq, RHAE/Meio Ambiente ans SBBB financed the trip of the invited researchers. The Post-Graduate Program in Ecology of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro allocated funds for the edition of this volume. We are particularly thankful to the reviewers, whose comments improved the quality of the present reviews; and to Prof. Dorothy Sue Dunn de Araujo who patiently improved the English language used in all chapters. Considering that one of the main goals of the series Oecologia Brasiliensis is to attend the demand for literature of the vast number of Brazilian students of Ecology and that the three previous volumes were issued in Portuguese, it is worth to mention that the present volume was written in English for two reasons. The main reason is that the reduced number of Brazilian specialist on the theme dealt with here required the review of the articles were done by foreign researchers; secondly, we believe that in such manner we contribute to launch the series beyond our geographical borders. The Editors of the Volume.
The Caatinga is a socio-ecological system where the mutual interdependence of man and nature is o... more The Caatinga is a socio-ecological system where the mutual interdependence of man and nature is outstanding. On one hand, ecological gradients maintain most of the large biodiversity and have been fundamental in shaping the modern regional cultural heritage. On the other hand, acute and chronic human disturbances together have led to a large-scale transformation of the Caatinga’s ecosystems, thus reducing their capacity to provide critical ecosystem services to local communities. Future scenarios will possibly be worse due to climatic changes. The path toward sustainability and resilience in the Caatinga requires a major shift from the current ways in which local populations use and interact with natural ecosystems.
This essay argues that the “sustainment” of humankind on Earth will require short-term ruptural t... more This essay argues that the “sustainment” of humankind on Earth will require short-term ruptural transformation of rooted individual and societal attitudes and ethics into a new categorical imperative. We establish a difference between “sustainment” of humankind and “sustainability”. Sustainment is the process of dynamic state of maintenance of conditions without destruction of prerequisite requirements for well and healthy performance of organisms and systems of life emergent on Earth (i.e. ecological stability). Sustainability is as a moral value related to intergenerational justice, and therefore a societal goal or utopia, backed up by specific science and policy tools. To address sustainment of humankind on Earth, we first provide a brief history on origins and extinction processes, then we discuss existing problems and challenges for sustainment, and we finally provide a reflection on plausible futures with humankind sustained. We aimed to balance out futures perspectives such as those related to the Gaia hypothesis, to the evolution of consciousness, and to trans-humanism, as constrained by the short time left for humankind to halt or reverse the trajectory of planetary degradation it imposed on the planet.
The annual flood pulses of central Amazonian rivers inundate marginal forests to 10 m depth or mo... more The annual flood pulses of central Amazonian rivers inundate marginal forests to 10 m depth or more (Furch &amp; Otto 1987, Junk et al. 1989). The regularity of this flooding seems to have promoted the development of a complex relationship between forest plants and fishes that consume their seeds (Goulding 1980). Several fish species migrate into the flooded forests to feed on buoyant fruits and seeds, and many plant species reach their fruiting peak during the flood season. Fruits and seeds have been reported to have adaptive features related to water (hydrochory) and/or fish (ichthyochory) dispersal (Araújo-Lima &amp; Goulding 1998, Gottsberger 1978, Goulding 1980, Kubitzki &amp; Ziburski 1994, Scarano 1998, Williamson 1999, Williamson &amp; Costa 2000). Strong multicuspidate teeth in frugivorous fishes, fruit/seed buoyancy (Goulding 1980) and chemical signs released by fallen fruit to attract fish (Araújo-Lima &amp; Goulding 1998) are mechanisms for the seed dispersal of the flooded forest community.
<p>We mapped forest cover of Trajano de Moraes in five timeslots between years 1978 and 201... more <p>We mapped forest cover of Trajano de Moraes in five timeslots between years 1978 and 2014, and used the weights of evidence method for modeling spatial dynamics of this landscape, to understand where natural regeneration is occurring and which are the main factors related to this phenomenon. In forest cover maps, value 2 stands for class "Atlantic forest" and value 1 stands for class "matrix".</p
Due to a growing interest in biodiversity issues, plant ecology research in Brazil in the past de... more Due to a growing interest in biodiversity issues, plant ecology research in Brazil in the past decades has predominantly aimed to produce descriptive accounts of vegetation structure, floristics and phytosociology. However, following the tradition of the notable Brazilian ecologists of the 40's and 50's, several studies conducted by a distinctive group of young Brazilian researchers were characteristically concerned with the relationship between plants and theirs physical and chemical environment. Thus, the main purpose of this volume is to review the bulk of achievements of this group of functional ecologists in order to call the attention of our expressive new generation of plant ecologists to functional and adaptive mechanisms related to plant survival and growth in environments subjected to seasonal drought or flooding. Therefore, the reviews were grouped under two sections, namely Xerophytic Plants and Amphibious Plants . The reviews altogether quote over 700 references gathering tropical examples of plant life strategies, contemporary theoretical issues related to stress ecophysiology, and modern techniques for measuring and assessing plant fitness, survival and productivity. Despite all this effort there are many gaps still to be filled. We hope this volume will contribute to point out directions for future research. We are indebted to the Brazilian Botanical Society (SBB) who let us organize the Ecophysiology Symposium in the XLVII Congresso Nacional de Botânica (22, 23/vi/1996), where these reviews were presented. CNPq, RHAE/Meio Ambiente ans SBBB financed the trip of the invited researchers. The Post-Graduate Program in Ecology of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro allocated funds for the edition of this volume. We are particularly thankful to the reviewers, whose comments improved the quality of the present reviews; and to Prof. Dorothy Sue Dunn de Araujo who patiently improved the English language used in all chapters. Considering that one of the main goals of the series Oecologia Brasiliensis is to attend the demand for literature of the vast number of Brazilian students of Ecology and that the three previous volumes were issued in Portuguese, it is worth to mention that the present volume was written in English for two reasons. The main reason is that the reduced number of Brazilian specialist on the theme dealt with here required the review of the articles were done by foreign researchers; secondly, we believe that in such manner we contribute to launch the series beyond our geographical borders. The Editors of the Volume.
The Caatinga is a socio-ecological system where the mutual interdependence of man and nature is o... more The Caatinga is a socio-ecological system where the mutual interdependence of man and nature is outstanding. On one hand, ecological gradients maintain most of the large biodiversity and have been fundamental in shaping the modern regional cultural heritage. On the other hand, acute and chronic human disturbances together have led to a large-scale transformation of the Caatinga’s ecosystems, thus reducing their capacity to provide critical ecosystem services to local communities. Future scenarios will possibly be worse due to climatic changes. The path toward sustainability and resilience in the Caatinga requires a major shift from the current ways in which local populations use and interact with natural ecosystems.
This essay argues that the “sustainment” of humankind on Earth will require short-term ruptural t... more This essay argues that the “sustainment” of humankind on Earth will require short-term ruptural transformation of rooted individual and societal attitudes and ethics into a new categorical imperative. We establish a difference between “sustainment” of humankind and “sustainability”. Sustainment is the process of dynamic state of maintenance of conditions without destruction of prerequisite requirements for well and healthy performance of organisms and systems of life emergent on Earth (i.e. ecological stability). Sustainability is as a moral value related to intergenerational justice, and therefore a societal goal or utopia, backed up by specific science and policy tools. To address sustainment of humankind on Earth, we first provide a brief history on origins and extinction processes, then we discuss existing problems and challenges for sustainment, and we finally provide a reflection on plausible futures with humankind sustained. We aimed to balance out futures perspectives such as those related to the Gaia hypothesis, to the evolution of consciousness, and to trans-humanism, as constrained by the short time left for humankind to halt or reverse the trajectory of planetary degradation it imposed on the planet.
The annual flood pulses of central Amazonian rivers inundate marginal forests to 10 m depth or mo... more The annual flood pulses of central Amazonian rivers inundate marginal forests to 10 m depth or more (Furch &amp; Otto 1987, Junk et al. 1989). The regularity of this flooding seems to have promoted the development of a complex relationship between forest plants and fishes that consume their seeds (Goulding 1980). Several fish species migrate into the flooded forests to feed on buoyant fruits and seeds, and many plant species reach their fruiting peak during the flood season. Fruits and seeds have been reported to have adaptive features related to water (hydrochory) and/or fish (ichthyochory) dispersal (Araújo-Lima &amp; Goulding 1998, Gottsberger 1978, Goulding 1980, Kubitzki &amp; Ziburski 1994, Scarano 1998, Williamson 1999, Williamson &amp; Costa 2000). Strong multicuspidate teeth in frugivorous fishes, fruit/seed buoyancy (Goulding 1980) and chemical signs released by fallen fruit to attract fish (Araújo-Lima &amp; Goulding 1998) are mechanisms for the seed dispersal of the flooded forest community.
Uploads